By David Williams BBC Wales political editor

The Archbishop will lend a 'theological edge to a political argument'

An all-Wales campaign in support of the Richard Commission recommendations to give the Welsh assembly law-making powers is to be launched next month.

On Thursday, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr. Barry Morgan, confirmed that he is to chair the campaign which is likely to involve trade union representatives, influential individuals and leading members of civic society in Wales.

Politicians will take a back seat, but members of all political parties are expected to be represented on a steering group still to be formed.

Effectively it will be another 'Yes' campaign similar to the one which articulated the case for devolution and won the argument - just - in the 1997 referendum.

The involvement of the archbishop will give a theological edge to what some consider to be an essentially secular political argument. Others will welcome the involvement of a leading cleric in what is regarded as a matter of the greatest social importance for Wales.

Announcing his chairmanship, the archbishop said: "It is my opinion that the recommendations in this report (Richard) are too important to be left to politicians alone. That's why I've agreed as someone independent of any political party to chair a movement which can draw on wider civil society."

It's unlikely that the campaign will spell out one defined response to the Richard Commission. Instead, the message - still to be determined - will be aimed at, what you might call, the broad church of opinion in Wales.

If the campaign succeeds it may effectively outflank those Labour MP's at Westminster who are so hostile to the idea of a new power house in Cardiff Bay and are demanding a referendum on the issue.

A new system of electing AMs is proposed

On this Labour MPs are as one in an unholy alliance with Welsh Tories in the assembly who are demanding the same thing.

Those now manoeuvring to extend the debate beyond Labour's control will be helped by the involvement of the trade union movement in Wales.

At the Wales TUC conference last month, there was overwhelming support for increased powers for the assembly and support too for an increase in the number of Assembly Members from 60 to 80.

That's just what the Richard Commission recommended and that's just what those Labour MPs at Westminster, hostile to Richard, get so exercised by.

But the big four unions in Wales - Unison, the T&G, the GMB and Amicus, were as one in their support of most of what Richard recommended.

However, they parted company on one crucial issue: the question of how to elect Assembly Members. Richard recommended changing the current PR system to one called STV - the single transferable vote.

The unions, like their brothers in the Labour party, just wont have it. Instead they'll be campaigning for what is arguably an equally controversial proposal: electing Assembly Members using the first past the post system.

But if this proposal was adopted it would reduce the current element of proportionality agreed by the electorate in the 1997 referendum and could, in itself, trigger another referendum.

The 10 Richard Commission members produced a 308-page report

The current leadership of the Labour party in Wales, including First Minister Rhodri Morgan, do not want a referendum on this or any other question. That line may be more difficult to sustain as the debate opens up in Wales.

So the hunt is on for a compromise; something which the various bodies and individuals who make up the new 'Yes' campaign can happily coalesce around.

That may be trickier than they think, but there is a determination to succeed and create a momentum which opponents will find difficult to stop.

It is the Labour party in Wales which will ultimately decide the fate of the Richard Commission recommendations and although Labour politicians will not be playing an active part in the campaign, some will quietly be underwriting its fundamental aims.

Of course, others in the party and outside it are well aware of this and will have no compunction in openly resisting the drive to give the assembly more powers and more members.

Opposition parties, particularly the Liberal democrats, will be playing key supporting roles in all this, but will be very careful not to appear too visible. The perception of a politically-led campaign could prove altogether counter productive.

For this reason Plaid Cymru will, initially at least, be playing a low key role. The party will be sticking to its aim of achieving Richard Plus - a Scottish style law-making parliament on the road to full independence.

This will suit Labour politicians - supporting the 'Yes' campaign - who would find it difficult to reconcile themselves to being in step with the nationalists. Behind the scenes though there is strong support from senior figures in Plaid for the new campaign.

But essentially this is going to be a campaign reflecting the views of a wider civic Wales, what you might call those fully paid up members of the chattering classes.

At the end of it all though the aim is overtly political. The campaign will have achieved that aim if it succeeds in getting the Labour party to include a line in its next general election manifesto promising law-making powers for the assembly.

All those involved, and they are all being incredibly self effacing a the moment, know that a great deal is now at stake in moving the devolution project forward.

As someone once said, it's a process rather than an event, but we can expect the next event in the process very soon.